TCU Gets Fourth Straight Bowl Win

by Mike MitchellDecember 23, 2008

TCU defeated Boise State 17-16 in the Poinsettia Bowl for its 4th straight bowl win, and secured a double-digit win total for the fifth time in the last seven seasons.

Despite the loss, Boise State finished with double-digit wins for the seventh time in the last nine seasons.

The Horned Frogs (11-2) trailed 13-0 in the second quarter before Aaron Brown scored on a 16-yard run with just 24 seconds remaining in the half. A 32-yard Ross Evans field goal with 46 seconds left in the 3rd quarter cut the gap to 13-10, and the TCU took the lead on a 22-yard run by Joseph Turner with 8:59 left in the game.

The Broncos (12-1) cut the TCU lead to 17-16 with Kyle Brotzman's 33-yard field goal at the 4:47 mark, but freshman QB Kellen Moore was picked off on the first play after Boise State forced a TCU punt with just under two minutes to go.

Boise State did get the ball back for one last play with 6 seconds left, hoping to perform some amazing trickery reminiscent of the Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma. This time, however, TCU snared an attempted lateral out of midair to end the game.

The loss was Boise State's first since a 41-38 loss to East Carolina in last year's Hawaii Bowl. The Broncos have dropped four of their last five bowl games after winning their first four.

TCU is 5-1 in bowl games since 2002.

Boise State head coach Chris Petersen is now 35-4 in three seasons with half of the losses coming in bowl games.

TCU head coach Gary Patterson is 72-27 since taking the reigns prior to the 2000 GMAC Bowl (then known as the Mobile, Alabama Bowl), and 5-3 in bowl games.

TCU's only losses in 2008 came on road trips to Oklahoma and Utah.

Boise State's Ian Johnson broke Marshall Faulk's WAC record of career rushing touchdowns when he scored on a 20-yard run in the first quarter.

TCU held the nation's No. 13 offense to 250 total yards and only 28 on the ground. TCU racked up 472 against the Broncos' No. 15 defense.